The India's top direct-to-home (DTH) players Airtel Digital, Sun Direct and Dish TV have pulled the plug on ESPN HD and Star Cricket HD
just before the start of the much-anticipated India-Pakistan series due
to a sudden hike in tariffs by the broadcaster. There are almost a
million high-definition (HD) subscribers on DTH in India out of a total
market of 50 million. A DTH operator told TOI that ESPN HD, which used to cost Indian Rs 40 per month, is now being priced at Indian Rs 142 monthly, while customers who earlier paid Indian Rs 40 for Star Cricket HD will now have to pay Indian Rs 120 monthly. This hike they said is too steep for them to pass on to their subscribers. However, Tata Sky, Videocon D2H and Reliance Big TV will continue telecasting the HD versions of the sports channels. The India-Pakistan series starts on December 25 and has attracted huge advertiser interest with ESPN expected to rake in around Rs 120 crore.
Salil Kapoor, Dish TV CEO, told TOI, "This sort of increase before the start of such a series is not justified and we have decided to not carry these channels on the HD platform. Broadcasters need to be more sensitive about pricing although we are still hoping some sort of a solution can be achieved before the series starts." He added the adoption and growth of HD in India will be impacted with this kind of insensitive pricing by broadcasters.
Source :- Times of India